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NBA to discuss restarting season at Disney complex in Orlando

The NBA says if the plan goes through, the 2019-2020 season could start as early as late July.

Author: Douglas Jones (TEGNA), Associated Press

Published: 11:03 AM PDT May 23, 2020

Updated: 4:18 AM PDT May 24, 2020

WASHINGTON — The NBA says it's currently in talks to possibly finish the season at Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, in late July.

The NBA board of governors is set to meet Friday, May 29, to discuss a timetable and plan to proceed with the season, reports, say. Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry confirmedthat date to CNBC on Thursday.

Mike Bass, a spokesman for the league, said Saturday that Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex would serve "as a single site for an NBA campus for games, practices and housing," if the plan goes through. The Orlando complex is made up of more than 250 acres with three arenas and hotel accommodations, which could allow games to restart while minimizing outside exposure to athletes.

The NBA announced it would be suspending its season "indefinitely" on March 11 as the COVID-19 pandemic began to hit the U.S. hard.

Bass says the NBA's priority is "health and safety of all involved." ESPN reports Bass said the association is "working with public health experts and government officials on a comprehensive set of guidelines to ensure that appropriate medical protocols and protections are in place."

It was not clear if the NBA would go directly into the playoffs or finish the remainder of its regular season first. The plan reportedly could be rolled out in steps to include a two-week quarantine of players at team marketplaces, and one to two weeks of individual workouts. After, it is expected that a two to three week formal training camp will be next.

When the NBA suspended its season, it became the first of the U.S. major pro leagues to do so after it was revealed that All-Star center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for COVID-19. The list of NBA players who were known to test positive eventually grew to 10 — not all were identified — and Commissioner Adam Silver said last month that the actual total was even higher.

But the league has been working on countless return-to-play scenarios for several weeks, all with the caveat that testing would be an integral part of any resumption of the season.

It remains unknown where the NBA is in the process of securing tests or developing large-scale testing protocols. Also unclear: how many regular-season games would be played before the postseason begins — or if all 30 teams would be playing. The league has asked team general managers for additional input on those matters.

Jared Dudley of the Los Angeles Lakers said in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday that he believes the playoffs, whenever they start, will be the traditional best-of-seven format.

“That’s the money-winner when it comes to Disney," Dudley said. “That’s why we’ll be in Orlando. Disney owns ESPN. That’s where they make their money. During the playoffs and finals, it will all be seven games. That one I’m almost 100% sure of."

Central Florida has been known as a viable option to host an NBA restart since at least mid-April, and other cities — such as Las Vegas, which also has a longstanding relationship with the NBA — were known to be considered as well.

Florida has confirmed just over 50,000 COVID-19 cases, though more than half of those are in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and not in the Orlando area. Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he wants the state open for pro sports, even telling franchises not based in Florida that they could come to the Sunshine State and train if restrictions preventing it existed in their own locales.

Teams have been allowed to welcome players back to their training facilities for voluntary sessions since May 8, and more than half of the league’s franchises have taken advantage of that opportunity.

The next steps along a return-to-play path would likely include a loosening of the restrictions for those voluntary workouts — no more than four players are currently allowed inside any facility at a time — and then a plan for when training camps could open. If the league plans to resume play in late July, then camps conceivably could open around the start of that month.

Rescheduling at least some regular season games could be a major perk for players, even though some teams are out of the playoff mix.

The league can take about 1.08% percent of a player's salary for each regular season game that is not played if what the collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players describes as a “Force Majeure Event,” the legal term for unforeseeable circumstances such as an epidemic or pandemic, is enacted.

The more regular season games played, the less money the players will lose.